Secrets in Ice
by ianna28
Summary: Loki knew that he was Jotun, that he was just to be used to bargain for peace. When has Loki ever accepted his fate? He escapes to Midgard, hiding in plain sight from those that would seek him out. He wasn't aware of how many wanted him alive. He wasn't aware that his best friend would be Howard Stark and his young son. FrostIron, Avengers AU
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi! This came to life while watching Thor with some awesome people from Tumblr. CopperBadge came up with the initial idea, then I twisted it a little while he wrote his own version. Basically it's a what would happen if Loki knew that he was a Jotun. You should go read his too. :)**

**I own nothing, not Marvel, not the Starks, or Loki or Thor.**

* * *

Loki was eight when his heritage was revealed to him. It was almost by accident really, he had followed Thor out on one of his many adventures, foolishly, slipping from the sights of his bodyguard. Thor wanted to get some crystal flowers for their mother, and only Loki knew where they were. He knew that he wouldn't be able to dissuade his brother from his mission, and he longed to leave the palace again, so he agreed.

Deep into the frozen forest they traveled, Thor stayed close to Loki, not wanting to follow behind since he was the eldest, but had no idea where he was going. Loki's hands glowed green, one of the few things visible in the snow, keeping Thor from getting lost. The blonde tightly gripped the frozen flowers in his gloved hands as they traipsed through the snow.

"Are we close brother?" Thor shouted over the wind. "I don't know how much longer we will last in the cold!" Loki nodded as he let his magic guide him. He could see Thor shaking, the cold and snow seeping through his clothes and into his bones. Loki didn't feel it like his older brother though. He found the cold tolerable, comfortable even.

"Wait," Loki held out his hand and Thor blinked. "There is something here, we are not alone." Thor looked at him, ready to take a fighting stance. Loki stepped forward, narrowing his eyes as they started to glow. After several more steps he turned at the sudden shout coming from Thor. The ten year old had been surrounded by spires of ice, and a flash of blue shot past Thor and around a tree.

Loki turned quickly and gasped when something hit him in the chest, knocking him to his back in the snow. "Loki!" He turned in the snow when something wrapped around his ankle. Loki slid through the snow and around the tree, out of the sight of Thor.

He came face to face with a pair bright blue eyes, surrounded by an aura of frost and cold. An Ice Spirit. "Two Asgardians, marching through here with what is mine," it hissed and Loki shivered, fear creeping up his spine. "Shall I make you part of my Forest? A spectacle for those foolish enough to enter here? You shall make a fine addition, yes," long finger pushed the black hair from Loki's face, freezing the strands in place.

"We'll give them back," Loki said quickly. "We only wanted a gift for our mother, we meant no harm, we did not know that we were stealing." He watched as the spirit walked around Loki's small body slowly, feeling the ice creep up his feet.

"Is it not common practice to ask before taking something?" He felt the cold breath next to his ear. "Perhaps I shall show some mercy, I shall ask when you could not." He moved to stand in front of Loki. "Shall I let you or your brother leave? Let you go with a warning for others to hear?"

Loki swallowed slowly. "Let my brother go, he can not stand the cold, he would be a bothersome addition." The spirit smiled wide and laughed. "But he will get lost," Loki quickly added. "I will only stay if you show him the way out of your forest, those are my conditions."

"Very well," it disappeared in a dust of snow and Loki let out a breath. He brushed his hands through his hair, trying to shake the ice off, then knelt to examine his feet. He could try to fashion an illusion around himself, but it would do no good if he couldn't get away. Thor would surely run for their father, maybe he wouldn't have to wait long.

A finger slid across the back of his neck and he froze briefly, before pushing himself back up. He looked into the positively devious eyes of the Ice Spirit and couldn't help but stare. The hand moved to his cheek and suddenly the Spirit frowned and took a step away. Loki blinked and reached up to touch his cheek, but could only feel the lingering flakes of frost.

"Jotun," the spirit hissed before wrapping its hand around Loki's face. His eyes widened as he felt the ice forming, capturing his small body in its position. He watched to blue eyes narrow at him before pulling away, watching and listening the only things that he had been left with. He hoped that Thor would return quickly with help.

* * *

The problem with the frozen forest was that it almost always seemed on the verge of dawn, no matter what time it was. While a beautiful sight to most, it was maddening to Loki. He couldn't move, and he couldn't even count the time as it passed. He had tried to keep track in his mind, but soon found that after eight hours he was likely to drive himself mad before someone came. He'd almost wish that the Ice Spirit would come back, it had actually talked to him.

From his very vague calculations he had surmised that possibly two days had passed. There was one thought that was a constant on his mind, though. Why didn't Loki feel the ice as Thor did? Just form walking int he snow his elder brother looked ready to collapse, while now Loki was encased in ice, magical ice, and he only felt faint shivers of cold. Did it have anything to do with what the spirit said before he had left?

"Loki!" Loki's eyes swung over to see several figures coming towards him, his brother running ahead of them. He might have cried in relief. "Father! Hurry, his skin is turning an unnatural blue from the spell!" Loki's eyes widened slightly. Blue?

There was a gust of wind and the Ice Spirit appeared between the approaching group and Loki. "The Allfather himself comes," Loki could hear the smirk in its voice. "I did not know that this whelp warranted such a visit. I would have expected another King to show for him."

"Baldr, take Thor," Odin spoke as he approached the spirit. Loki watched as one of the warriors took Thor's hand and pulled him back with some of the other warriors. "You willingly hold a Prince captive?"

"I think I was not the first to do so," the spirit swept around to Loki side. He could feel the cold hand run down Loki's arm through the ice. "No, this is no longer your concern, Odin," it hissed out at him. "I have come into possession of this one. He shall be displayed in my most prominent of features, spelled to still grow old so that all may recognize him."

Odin pointed his staff at the Spirit and Loki followed it with his eyes. Loki didn't care what Odin would do to punish him for breaking dozens of rules, he only wanted to be free of this wretched forest. "Release him."

"We made a deal," the spirit countered. "I let his 'brother' go, even showed him the way back to the palace, and he would stay here." He leaned down and ran a hand across the top of Loki's head. "Unless another bargain is struck; I suppose I could try and come to some agreement."

Loki closed his eyes tightly, trying to pull deeply for his magic. He fought past the spells around his body, pulling on whatever raw power he could muster. The ice around his fingers start to slowly melt away from the inside until he could barely wiggle his fingers. The tips of his fingers sparked green, melting away the rest of the ice until he could feel the wind on his fingers. If he could have Loki would have let out a sob of relief

"He is an eight year old boy," a voice said from behind Odin. Loki watched as his bodyguard stepped up. Her white hair was pulled back as she dropped his hood to look at the Spirit with her golden eyes. "He is not old enough to know of what he speaks, especially with a creature such as yourself."

The Ice Spirit snarled at them and Loki worked his other hand free. "You deign to call me a creature? Compared to yourselves?" It took a step closer to the two, snow and frost whipping up around it in it's anger. "You're the ones keeping a _creature_ around!" Loki could sense the magic building up, could sense the hidden attack coming. He saw the spears of ice building up in the air behind Odin and Loki's own guard, Renna.

"No!" He felt the ice break away and he called the magic in the area to himself. drawings the ice spears to himself. He closed his eyes, waiting for something, pain, coldness, something to happen. He opened his eyes and saw that Renna was standing in front of him while Odin had pinned the spirit to a tree with his staff.

Loki looked up and bright blue eyes caught his. "We made a deal, _Princeling_. We will see each other again." A gust of snow and wind flew through the clearing and the spirit disappeared. Loki took a breath then released the excess power he was holding, falling to his knees in the snow. He looked at his hands and frowned; Thor had been right, he was turning blue.

Renna took off her jacket and wrapped it around Loki quickly, picking him up in her arms. She joined Odin as they left the forest, but Loki couldn't stop looking at his skin. He didn't feel any warmer in the fur lined jacket, but he wasn't shaking with the cold like he should have been. He had been trapped in ice, he should by all accounts be unable to move, unable to feel.

"What's wrong with me?" He whispered and looked at Renna.

"Shush child," she said, not looking down at him. "This is not the time for talking." No, Loki knew that, they'd talk as his punishment, for Thor's quest, was decided.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi! This came to life while watching Thor with some awesome people from Tumblr. CopperBadge came up with the initial idea, then I twisted it a little while he wrote his own version. Basically it's a what would happen if Loki knew that he was a Jotun. You should go read his too. :)**

**I own nothing, not Marvel, not the Starks, or Loki or Thor.**

* * *

"Don't dawdle," Renna told the Prince, throwing a jacket at him. "You must be ready for their arrival."

"You mean ready for a hand off," Loki murmured as he slid the jacket on. "There's no guarantee that this is even going to work," he didn't flinch at the glare that his guard gave to him. After thousands of years with Renna at his side he had become immune to almost everything she could throw at him. He knew that Odin intended to offer Loki and the Casket as a peace offering to the Jotuns arriving.

"Hold your tongue," she opened the door and waited for Loki to walk out of the room first. His only consolation would be that he wouldn't have to be followed around by Renna anymore.

Loki had quickly been dismissed by the others when he was younger. Thor and his friends had at first try to play with him, but that quickly stopped when they realized that Renna was always there, and that she would always report back to Odin.

As they walked down the hall to the throne room Loki's head turned slightly, feeling a wisp of unfamiliar magic brush past his sense. He frowned slightly but let his senses reach out while they kept walking. He could tell it was powerful, more so than even Odin, and it intrigued him.

"Wait here," he glanced at Renna when she placed a hand on his shoulder just outside the throne room. "I shall come to collect you. I'll know if you try to sneak away." She pointed at him then walked inside, the guards closing the doors as she disappeared. Loki shifted slightly on his feet, rubbing his arm slightly from the remnants of magic that traveled through his fingers. He had to find it again.

Turning he quickly left, leaving one of his clones in his spot and hurried back down the hall. He heard voices shouting down the hall when he reached the rogue power. Reaching out to it the green at his fingers crackled until a wind started to pick up. He stepped closer as the air in front him started to become distorted.

"Stop!" He turned quickly at Odin's voice and frowned slightly. Thor, Frigga, Renna, Laufey and a couple of other Frost Giants stood behind him. Laufey watched with mild interest, probably trying to gauge if this was in fact the son that Odin talked about. Loki looked at the group before turning back to look at the distortion.

"This has never been here before," Loki commented as his hand hovered over it, glowing green.

"It is something that must be controlled," Odin said, hoping to pull Loki away from the raw power. He knew what it was, a lesser Aesir had lost themselves many a time to it. "Something that is beyond your knowledge, Loki." Loki turned his head to shoot a glare at the older King.

"I surpass every sorcerer in Asgard," Loki almost hissed out. He hadn't missed how Renna had silently started to edge away from the group. "Where is this power from?"

"It is from Yggdrasil," Frigga spoke up softly. Loki's eyes widened slightly. The Great Tree itself? That was almost too much for Loki to ignore. Loki put out a hand when Renna made her move at his side, a shield blocking her from reaching him.

"Do you think that you could possibly control the power?" Laufey taunted from behind and Loki narrowed his eyes while still looking at Renna. "If you could, then you would surely be allowed to lay claim to my throne, welp."

Loki growled and looked back at the distortion. "I'll control it," he said just loud enough for the others to hear. "But I'll do it for myself." He whispered a spell and let tendrils of magic slip from his fingers to probe the power, then turned to look at the others. "I'll prove it to myself, since I have no family. I want no claim to any throne, not out of pity, or out of some diplomatic arrangement! I am not a pawn, not any longer." The wind started to grow stronger and the others, even Renna, took a couple of steps back.

Loki turned and studied the power. His magic tinted it green and he took a step closer to it, hand outstretched. "Loki, you shall lose yourself between the branches if you do this," Odin called out once again. "You could lose yourself in the Void!"

"I see no difference as to where I am lost now," he said before stepping into the distortion.

* * *

"Tony!" The screeching of tires on pavement had the man running faster out the door. There was a crack of thunder, and flash of green, in the clear sky, which gave the man pause, before the sound of a several car horns caught his attention again.

Pushing past the crowds gathering he saw a dark haired man in the middle of three cars, his body curled around something. Howard Stark jumped over the hood of one of the cars, his bodyguards close behind him, as the man started to teeter, falling to his side. He saw a familiar ruffle of dark brown hair in the mans' arms and felt his heart jump to his throat. The smaller body moved and a head popped up, hazel eyes wide.

"Tony!" Howard slid to his knees and wrapped his arms around his twelve year old son. "Are you alright?" He pulled back and tilted his face up, checking for any kind of wounds, astounded when he saw none. He had seen the kidnappers shoving Tony into the back of their car, how had he ended up in the middle of the street. He glanced back over at the man on his side, and noticed the clear green eyes were staring at him.

"It was the weirdest thing!" Tony exclaimed before leaning over to check on the raven haired man. "I was in the car, then this guy just kind of shows up. The others were not happy, let me tell you, but he just grabs me as they pull out their guns and suddenly we're out of the car." Howard knows that Tony rambles when he's nervous, but he's never made anything up like this before. "I'm waiting to get hit by these cars, but I just feel a little shake, that's it, and when I look up these cars all have crushed front ends and then you're running up."

Tony had helped his savoir sit up in the road and Howard put out a hand. No matter how weird he looked, because who really wears all that leather in New York, he did save his sons life. The man glanced at it before reaching out slowly, and grasped his forearm. Howard blinked, as did Tony, before the man let go. He tried to push himself up, but stumbled a little before his knees could straighten out.

"Hang on there, Hercules," Tony jumped up, placing himself under the mans arm, letting him use the pre-teen as a balance point. As Howard stood up and placed his other arm around his shoulders he realized the man was taller then him.

"I am afraid that not even Hercules could pull that off," the man spoke quietly. Tony raised an eyebrow and grinned suddenly. After Tony's time at one of the boarding school in England he had grown an affinity for the accent. "He lacks the proper focus, very one sided individual."

"You talk as if you think he's real," Howard said as the two Starks started to help him walk away from the cars. The man merely smiled a little. "Maybe you took a hit to the head that we can't see."

"No, I assure you that my head feels fine," he said. "It is more of my legs that are refusing to cooperate as they should." They get him back to the building that the convention was held and Tony stays close to his savior, and Howard ponders something in his mind. It isn't until a few hours later, with Tony headed back to their mansion, that he's able to question Loki.

"Why did you risk your life to save Tony's?" It's not that he's not thankful, it's just that he can't understand.

"Because, no child should be taken from their home," Loki answers immediately, quietly, and Howard can hear that there's something behind that. "No matter what the reason." He looks back up at Howard. "I am sorry if-"

"I'd like you watch over Tony," Howard interrupts him and Loki blinks. "Be his bodyguard. He attracts trouble, it's in his nature, and none of my guys can keep up with him."

"I would not like to see him tethered-" Loki starts but Howard can't help but stop him again.

"No one can keep Tony tethered, trust me," Howard snorted a little with a small smile. "I just want you to keep him safe. You're not his babysitter, you're his guardian." Loki raises an eyebrow. "You got this thing about you, I'm not sure what it is, but I just feel like I can trust you with his life."

"You do not wish for me to report when he likely to do something not wise?" Loki was wondering how he could be offered the same role that he had despised, but yet have it mean much more.

"He'll do it no matter what," Howard waved his hand a little. "The only kind of report I want is if there's going to be a long term threat, or if you've just stopped someone. I care about his life, not his mistakes. Mistakes he'll learn from, and there are other people to report those to me."

Loki watched the man before nodding once. "This is a task that I can do with the utmost certainty, Mr Stark."

"Call me Howard," he extended his hand again, and this time Loki shook it.

* * *

"Loki?" Tony called out one night from his bed. Loki sat in a chair in the corner of the dark room. A letter had been received, threatening both Starks, and Loki figured if they were smart, they would try something at night. It's what he might have done.

"Yes, Anthony?" He glanced over at the teen, eyes returning to the points of access into the room.

"I can't help but think about two years ago, when you saved me. You remember?" Of course Loki remembered, but he didn't say anything. "How did you get us out of the car?"

"Magic," Loki answered simply. He had never been asked that before but Howard or Tony, and would only tell the truth. He had seen Howard's work with the tesseract and knew that they man believed that there were a few things out there that couldn't be explained.

"If you didn't wanna answer it, you just had to say so," Tony stubbornly said as he turned to his side. "I mean, you didn't have to make up- What the hell?" He sat up when he saw a faint green glow. Loki had raised an eyebrow as he let little sparks travel from his fingers up his arm and back down again.

"I do not lie to you, Anthony, never you." He gestured to the windows and the curtains opened slightly. He pushed himself up from the chair as the window had been pushed open. "I work magic as it runs through my very being. I use it to keep you safe," he reached out the window and there was a yelp. He pulled inside a man dressed in black and Tony's eyes widened slightly.

"I would appreciate it if you told no one else," Loki leaned down and pressed two glowing fingers to the mans forehead, knocking him out cold. "I am trying to stay hidden from those that would set their sights on me." Loki looked up into the hazel eyes of the boy.

"Like I'd let anyone take you away from me," Tony suddenly grinned. "I still have to get one by you one day. Who else would I have fun with?" Loki smirked slightly as he stood to get take care of their intruder.

"Indeed, Anthony Stark, indeed."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi! This came to life while watching Thor with some awesome people from Tumblr. CopperBadge came up with the initial idea, then I twisted it a little while he wrote his own version. Basically it's a what would happen if Loki knew that he was a Jotun. You should go read his too. :)**

**I own nothing, not Marvel, not the Starks, or Loki or Thor. I picture Rhodey looks like Don Cheadle all the time.**

* * *

Almost thirty years later Loki watched Tony Stark from the back of the crowd as he demonstrated the Jericho. He felt a shiver down his spine and casually lifted his glasses, looking to the side. As the shockwave hit the group he saw a familiar blonde walking towards him.

"Thor," Loki said casually as he turned his attention back towards Tony, who was pulling out his phone to talk to Obidiah. "What are you doing here?" He started to walk towards his ward, as the other God fell in line next to him.

"We have been searching everywhere for you," he said in a deep voice. He may have been dressed in a suit like the other half of the people, but he stood out from the generals and business men. "It is time that you came home-"

"I have no home," Loki rounded on him, whispering harshly. "You would take me back only to play the silent fool? No, I have found a place here, and I will not be a part of any more games." He moved to walk and Thor wrapped a hand around his arm.

"Loki, come-" Loki pulled his arm from Thor's grip and took a step back.

"Do not tell me what to do, we are not family." Loki turned and blinked when he didn't see Tony, and saw three Humvees driving off. His phone jingled in his jacket and he pulled it out to see a text from Tony.

You look occupied. See you back at the base. Finally got one up on you

Loki growled and shoved the phone back in his pocket. "Thor, you would do well to leave me now. Because of your interruption I have failed in my duties." He turned without a second glance at Thor, working a spell at his fingers and disappeared back to the hotel on base. He dropped into a chair and rubbed at his face. How could that oaf Thor have found him so quickly, and how could have he let him distract him keeping an eye on Tony?

He knew that it would another twenty minutes at least before Tony returned. It gave him time to weave some more spells to hide him. Now that Thor knew where he was he was sure that others would return eventually. Heimdall would surely be looking for him with more intensity.

It was almost two hours later when there was a knock on the door. "It's about time, Tony," Loki muttered as he grasped the doorknob. "Did you- Rhodes?" He blinked at the man that looked a little worse for wear. He could see it in his eyes, something was wrong. "Where is Anthony?"

"We don't know," was not the answer that Loki had expected.

"I'll find him," Loki answered turning back into the room. Rhodey walked in, closing the door and watching Loki's clothes change to something more comfortable for him. Loki pulled all the blankets and sheets off the bed then sat down on it, crossing his legs, and relaxing.

He let his power spread out, his energies run through the land. It had only been two hours, not much could happen in two hours, right? He felt the familiar signature of Stark Industries weapons, the shapes, the contents within, several life energies walking around them. They weren't the right ones. He needed one that had been touched by magic.

Then he found it, and he almost wished he hadn't. Everything started to spin, he lost himself and there was a sudden blinding pain in his chest. He could hear screaming and shouting, foreign words and pain, overwhelming pain. There was a sudden pressure at his chest and it all stopped.

Loki opened his eyes to see Rhodey standing over him. "What the hell happened!"

Loki took a deep breath, and tried to hide his shaking hands. "I don't know.

It wasn't the answer that he wanted to give Pepper Potts when he arrived back in California a week later. "They would not allow me to stay," he told her as they got into the car at the airport.

"You couldn't use your magic to find him?" He could hear the barely contained hysterical note in her voice. Of course Pepper knew. She and Rhodey were the only ones that he had allowed Tony to tell.

"I can not find him," Loki informed her. "He is somewhere beyond my reach, I do not know why. Rest assured though, that he is alive, of this I am certain." Pepper placed a hand on one his, becoming aware that he had been clenching and releasing his hands. "He is alive," he repeated. He wasn't sure if it was for himself, or for Pepper.

* * *

Three months later the three loyal Stark employees stood on the tarmac as the back of the plane opened. Loki stood behind Pepper and Happy, his sunglasses on, as Tony and Rhodey walked down. He knew that Tony would wave away the gurney and he moved up to take Rhodey's place next to Tony.

"Next time, how about you wait for me?" Tony just smirked a little when Loki whispered in his ear. And then Tony was talking to Pepper and Happy was opening the doors for them. He sat up front with Happy, rolling his eyes when Tony asked for cheeseburgers and a press conference. He would question the man later. Until they got to the building Loki let his powers surround Tony, trying to figure out what had stopped him from finding him three months ago. There was a resistance near his chest, and Loki frowned when he opened his eyes.

When he was done digging the business into a hole. Loki groaned as he followed Tony from the press room to the building that housed the arc reactor.

"What exactly is the thought process in your head?" Loki asked standing next to Tony as they looked at the reactor.

"You can't read my mind or something?" Tony asked, and Loki could tell the man sounded tired.

"Unfortunately, no I can not. It would have helped many a time in the past," Loki said before turning to look at Tony. "But, even if that were in my arsenal, I am afraid that your new addition," he tapped Tony's chest, "blocks a good portion of my powers." Tony turned to look at him.

"That, actually explains something," Tony admitted quietly and Loki felt something constrict in his chest at the words. He grabbed Tony's shoulder gently and turned him.

"You know that I would always save you, right? That I would-"

"Yeah," Tony smiled up at him and nodded. "Yeah, I know that, haven't doubted it since I was 12."

"Until now," Loki confirmed. "Until the one time that I could not-"

"Don't blame yourself, Loki," Tony put a hand on his arm. "It was my fault, I shouldn't have tried to ditch you. If you had been by my side that day who knows what would have happened." He shrugged a little and turned to look at the giant prop piece. "I stopped wondering where you were after the second week. I was then thankful that you weren't with me, because if you were, you might have been dead or stuck right there with me in that goddamned cave. As long as you were here, you were safe."

Loki swallowed thickly then stepped back when the doors opened and Stane walked in. Had he been aware of what would happen he would have never made an agreement with Howard Stark. Had he known the emotional investment that would have been forged with Anthony Stark, he would have tried his luck somewhere else on Midgard.

And had he known that Obidiah Stane would have been the next threat to Tony Stark, he would have killed the man the minute he walked in.

* * *

Loki had waited until Stane had left, talking to Pepper about what the next step might be, about maybe trying to get him to give anything about the arc reactor in his chest. She had simply sighed and told him she would try, but this was Tony they were talking about. Loki watched the man until he left then left to move down the stairs.

"Loki," he turned back at Pepper's voice. "I know it's hard."

Loki frowned and turned to face her. "What's hard? Living with Tony? Because I'm afraid I've been doing that since he was 12, it hasn't gotten any easier."

"Loving someone for so long," Pepper continued and Loki stiffened a little. "Knowing that they might not return your affections. We both know how Tony is, you most of all." She sighed a little and put her tablet down in her lap. "How long have you know that you loved him?"

"Would you tell me Miss Potts, how long you have been in love with Hogan?" Pepper's eyes widened a little. "It is my job to observe, it's what keeps Anthony safe, and alive. It is what I do, until the day he dies." He turned back and made his way downstairs.

Stopping at the doors to the lab he watched as Tony was tweaking some blueprints on his desk. He watched the man for a moment then waved his hand at the door, the code entered itself and unlocked

"I wondered what took you so long," Tony muttered from his chair, not looking up.

"I would like to imagine that you are relatively safe while down here," Loki moved to take a seat in his usual chair that overlooked every entrance, exit, and corner of the room. "At least from your enemies." He crossed his knees and glanced at the shorter man. "I need to ask you a question, and I'll need you to be brutally honest with me, Anthony." Tony looked up at the name. He didn't particularly like it when he was called by that name. "Do you still trust me? With your life?"

Tony blinked, slightly surprised as to why Loki would ask something like that. "Of course I do, I have since I was-"

"Your confidence was shaken, though," Loki interrupted. "Can you be absolutely sure of your unwavering trust?"

"I never took you as the self-blaming type," Tony turned in his chair to look at Loki. "This is something that you've never done before, and I have done some stupid things in my life."

"I was distracted," Loki glanced to the side and Tony watched him carefully. "Don't stay up too late with your suit," he said as he suddenly stood up and left the workshop before Tony could stop him.

In hindsight, Loki realized that he should have kept a closer eye on Tony when two months later JARVIS informed him that Tony had donned the suit and left suddenly. He sat in the workshop and watched the feed that JARVIS had brought up for him, letting him have his moment. He knew it was for Yinsen, but it didn't mean that he wouldn't chastise the billionaire when he came back.

Or when he attracted the attention of the US military. "JARVIS, please tap into the current call with Tony and Rhodes," he said calmly. No need to lose his temper with the AI

"It's me," Tony said breathlessly.

"It's who?" That was Rhodey's voice and he sounded irritated. Not nearly as irritated as Loki.

"I'm sorry, it is me." Tony continued, Loki waiting for the right time to jump in. "You asked. What you were asking about is me." Loki had to wonder what Tony had gotten into.

"No, see, this isn't a game," Rhodey snapped. "You do not send civilian equipment into my active war zone. You understand that?"

"It's not a piece of equipment. I'm in it. It's a suit. It's me!" Loki raised an eyebrow when he heard talking in the background of Rhodey's line.

"What in the Nine Realms do you think you are doing," Loki growled out and he knew that he had Tony's attention now. "Anthony Edward Stark-"

"Hang on Lokes," Tony interrupted him and the god growled. He could hear a bit of a commotion then a breathless chuckle from Rhodey.

"Tony, Loki, you still there?" Loki growled in response.

"You gonna come and see what I'm working on now?" Tony was grinning and Loki was going to kill him when he got back. "Before I'm murdered in my sleep?"

"I won't give you the pleasure of dying so peacefully," Loki responded.

"No, the less I know, the better," Rhodey ignored the death threat. That was normal. "You owe me a new plane."

"Technically, he attacked me first."

"Just, get back," Loki walked away from the display, tempting the thought of conjuring some of his old torture devices.

* * *

Loki walked up the steps from the kitchen with a couple of glasses and a tub of Tony's favourite ice cream. He had decided that Tony needed a stress reliever while he waited for Pepper to return. What he didn't expect to see was a pale Tony with a missing reactor.

"Tony!" He ran the last few steps then stopped, his hands dropping the objects, glass scattering on the floor, as the high pitched whine halted his movements. It wasn't nearly as fatal to him, but all his years on Midgard had dulled his usual reactions. He was pulled down, landing on his back with a loud thud, the back of his head bouncing on the hard floor.

He saw Stane, saw him with the container with the arc reactor. "Down boy," the man smirked as he used the fireplace poker, sliding it through Loki's shoulder, to keep him on the ground. "Just had to put the dog down with his master." The man uttered as he stepped over Loki. "I have the kitten to take care of now."

Pepper.

He heard Tony grunting, breathing heavily, crawling on his hands and knees. Loki swallowed as he slowly felt movement come back to his limbs. Not enough though. "Go," he whispered when Tony turned towards him. "Workshop," he winced when he moved his arm, moving around the poker. Tony stared at him for a second before changing destinations and Loki let his head rest back.

Tony would get to the suit, he would save Pepper, and everything would be okay. Loki had endured worse pain in Asgard, he could ride this out.

Loki hadn't been aware of when he had let his eyes closed, but they shot open when he felt t he poker in his shoulder being jerked suddenly. "Loki? Where's Tony?" Rhodey was kneeling next to him, hand on the metal rod. "If I pull this out, can you heal yourself?"

Loki just nodded and bit his lip when the hooked end caught in his arm, but it came out. He rolled over quickly and pushed himself up. "He's down in his lab," He groaned a little. "The arc reactor is missing, Stane took it." Rhodey moved past Loki and rand downstairs, Loki not too far behind him. He heard the Iron Man suit blast off before he reached the workshop, followed by the squeal of tires.

Loki reached the workshop and grabbed onto the closest table. DUM-E rolled over to him letting out a series of beeps and whines. Loki placed a hand on the robot before taking the roll of gauze it offered. "JARVIS, what is Tony's trajectory?" He slowly pushed the sleeve of his shirt off and slowly started wrapping the cloth around his shoulder.

"He has reached Miss Potts location outside of the R&D building containing the Arc Reactor," the AI responded. "His current reactor does not hold enough power to keep the suit powered."

Loki took a breath and let his clothes shimmer away and rolled his shoulders as his sorely missed armour appeared. Leather and metal with his staff left him with a feeling of familiarity. While the Stark family was on Midgard, he still missed a little part of his life that had been on Asgard. He shook his head, knowing there was time to think about that later. He needed to get to Tony.

He appeared outside of the building and coughed on the smoke that was around and stumbled suddenly. "Loki!" He turned his head when he heard the clicking of heels and a pair of hands wrap around his arm. "Loki, they took off flying suddenly, and Obisiah has gone insane, and-"

"Lady Potts," Loki stood up and placed a hand on hers. "He will come back. you have a line open to him, correct?" She nodded quickly. "Good, let me know when he contacts you, but do not let him know I'm here. I fear it will only distract him."

"Loki, I- Tony?" She turned her head a little, pressing against her ear. "Tony where are you!" Loki glanced up then used a tiny bit of his powers to get him to the roof. He needed a better view, and perhaps he could build up the energy he lost while impaled on the ground.

He smiled and took a couple steps towards Tony when he landed on the roof. "Anthony, you should know better than to engage in fatal combat." Tony turned and smirked as he threw the damaged gauntlet to the ground.

"And you should know that I got a thing for leather, and that much should be illegal on you," he smirked when Loki raised an eyebrow at him.

"Nice try, Tony!" Stane landed on the roof between the two men and Tony pointed his hand at him, only to realize that he had just discarded his gauntlet. Loki saw it coming and he changed places with Tony, gasping when the Iron Monger suit batted him away like he was nothing more than paper.

"You have gotten in my way for the last time," Stane growled then grabbed the back of Loki's shoulders, lifting him up before throwing him across the roof. He hit the glass and bounced off of it as it broke rolling on the gravel. He took a gasping breath and rolled over slowly, placing a hand to his chest. Hissing in pain he looked down and saw several large pieces of glass protruding through his clothes.

Better him than Tony, he thought. Pain, he was used to this, he could ride it out.

He still thought that he could ride it out a couple days later when he found himself asleep on the couch. 'I am Iron Man.' The man was something, but it wasn't iron, it was insanity. He didn't dare move from the couch though when heard come in though. When JARVIS failed to respond to his master; When Nick Fury turned to face him. He knew Tony was glaring at him, but he couldn't hide his smirk.

He yelped when Tony suddenly grabbed his bad shoulder. For some reason he had decided to let it all heal naturally. A foolish move, really. "You're supposed to be my guardian!" Loki raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't think you still needed a guardian," Fury said, walking around to sit at the end of the couch as Loki pushed himself up. "You are Iron Man after all."

"Oh no," Loki broke in. "That just means that he'll need at three more like me. He liable to draw even more attention to himself now." He winced a little and moved his shoulder as Tony sat on the other end of the couch, leaving Loki in the middle. "He's actually made my job harder. And I did not perceive a threat when Mr Fury entered the premises, or else I'd have incapacitated him."

"You let him take out JARVIS," Tony shot back.

"I highly doubt that you'd be able to take me out Mr Laufeyson," Fury added in. Loki and Tony just raised an eyebrow.

"Hm, yes, indeed," Loki leaned back against the couch. "I am afraid though, that if you're to keep pursuing Mr Stark's attentions, then you'll also be dealing with me. As of this moment, I will not be leaving his side."

"He's been making my actual shadow feel like it's not doing its job," Tony quipped. Fury merely narrowed his one eye and Loki internally grinned. He let Tony give the external one.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hiiiiii. I'm kind of back. There's just been a lot of home stuff going on (that's still going on) that has taken a lot of my time. But here! Have a chapter! I still love you all, and I didn't want to post something half-arsed just to get something up.**

**A few notes, this takes place during Iron Man 2. And I've put in one of the deleted scenes that you can find on youtube. They're in a jet, and it's a Zero Ggravity room, that's why you'll see Pepper's hair floating in the clip, and that's the reason for the seatbelts. It makes sense when you see it, trust me. :)**

* * *

"You are here by order to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee tomorrow morning at 9 am."

Tony evaluated her for a second. "Can I see a badge?" He enjoyed saying what no one was expecting, throwing them off their game.

"You wanna see a badge?" The red head seemed exasperated.

"He likes the badge," Happy threw in.

She rolled her eyes before pulling out the leather backed badge and letting the two men study it. "You still like it?"

"Yup." He nodded before looking over to his driver and bodyguard. "How far are we from D.C.?"

"D.C.?" Happy seemed to think about it. "About 250 miles." He relaxed back into his seat as Tony punched the gas and they sped away from the Stark Expo site.

It wasn't until they were comfortably away from the Expo and on the highway that Happy regretted being in the car. He jumped and pressed himself against the door when a pair of black-nylon covered legs appeared next to him, leading up to a short skirted, black haired woman. She was sitting on the back of the car, her arms stretched behind her for leverage.

":You didn't really like her badge did you?" She spoke over the sound of the air rushing past them with clarity and Happy relaxed a little. "It wasn't all that impressive in my opinion."

"Do you have a better one?" Tony smirked, glancing in the mirror to meet the green eyes. "I'd like to see that one."

"Only in your dreams Anthony Stark." Tony grinned wider and he reached back to run his hand up her leg. "Hey!" He pulled his hand back when a very male hand smacked his and the legs changed, now covered with black tailored pants. "You're such a tease, Loki."

"I'm not the one in trouble with your government, I'm allowed to tease."

"Oh darling, please tell me you're going to be there."

"And miss you acting like an ass?" Loki raised and eyebrow, leaning forward, his arms on his knees. "There are few things that give me more pleasure than watching that, Tony."

* * *

Loki turned the page of his book as the argument and general over-reaction of Tony went on around him. "You don't wanna hang out with me anymore." He couldn't ignore that line, glancing up over the edge of his book.

"I think hanging out with you," Rhodey paused slightly, "is bad for our friendship." Loki glanced over at Pepper. If he could he'd remind her in that moment that he was there to keep Tony from danger, not to play his counselor.

Tony turned and looked at Loki then to Pepper as shoulder straps popped out of the chairs, signaling the beginning of the zero gravity experience in the small room. "What do you call that?"

"Seatbelts," Pepper chimed out as she attached the straps, prompting the others, except for Loki, to follow suit.

"Call the shrink, get him on the horn," Loki rolled his eyes and went back to his book as Tony continued. "I gotta find out what just happened. That was criminal."

"Let's move on-"

"Let's! Like how nothing should have any gravity, but this one over here," Tony motioned to Loki, "seems to not care."

"I'm simply choosing to ignore the affects of this space," Loki said, turning another page of the book.

"You can do that?" Rhodey raised an eyebrow.

"I am not bound by your mortal expectations." Loki smirked at the snorts from both Tony and Pepper. Loki's hearing perked a little as Tony and Pepper continued talking about future plans for his birthday party and he looked out towards the window of the jet. He was hoping that the rumble of thunder he heard merely a sound from the jet. He was hoping that he would believe his own flights of fancy for once.

Back at the mansion he headed for his rooms instead of following Tony down to his workshop. He needed to do some research, craft some spells, something to get rid of the pit of unease in his stomach.

* * *

Tony couldn't avoid it forever, no matter how much he tried, and he was good at ignoring things. But he couldn't avoid Loki, not forever. Apparently making Pepper CEO and hiring Natalie Rushman was one step too far.

"What is going on inside that head of yours!" This time Loki forcefully poked Tony's head and he moved quickly.

"Hey now, delicate here." That made Loki's glare even worse. He knew he shouldn't have said that.

Loki grabbed Tony's shoulder, gripping it tightly and turned him in his chair in the workshop. "You can not just make rash decisions like this!"

"That's what dying men do!" Tony shouted and Loki took a step back, jaw tight.

"That is not what dying men do," Loki growled and Tony had never heard his voice so tight before. It sent a shiver down his back and left him a little confused when Loki suddenly turned on his heal and left the workshop. Tony jumped to his feet and pulled on the door, but found it locked.

"Mr Laufeyson requested that he not be bothered, sir," JARVIS informed him and Tony frowned.

"I went too far, didn't I JARVIS?" He held up his hand and went back over to his desk to replace the core of his arc reactor. "Don't answer that, it was rhetorical." He put slipped the arc up his shirt and clicked it into place. "He's the one who disappears in his room for half a week, somehow knows that I'm having an issue, and suddenly I'm the bad one."

"To be-"

"Please don't point out the flaws in my logic," Tony sighed as he dropped down into his chair, running a hand through his hair. "Although I would like to know what he's been up to."


End file.
